Unsolicited Advice: Add a Pedestrian Bridge over the Ala Wai at University Ave.

Published: 2012.11.11 06:00 AM

illustration: valentino valdez

Waikiki and its surrounding neighborhoods are denser than ever, with more buildings, people and cars, and yet there are still the same handful of routes in and out of Waikiki, and only at its farthest ends.

We’re overdue to add at least one more bridge. Even a pedestrian overpass connecting the makai end of University Avenue to Kalaimoku Street in Waikiki would make a difference. Waikiki residents could more easily reach Ala Wai Park. The nearly 800 University of Hawaii students who live in Waikiki would have a better shot at walking or biking straight to school. And the thousands of Honoluluans who live in Moiliili and McCully could walk into Waikiki for the beach, dining, shopping and more.

In the worst-case scenario, the bridge would at least be one more path out of Waikiki, in case of evacuation.